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Design · head to head

Adobe Illustrator vs Affinity Designer

Adobe Illustrator logo

Adobe Illustrator

Design

Professional vector graphics software

From
$22.99/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Affinity Designer logo

Affinity Designer

Design

Professional graphic design software for everyone

From
$69.99/one-time
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Adobe Illustrator listed on UK G-Cloud as part of Adobe Creative Cloud (which bundles Illustrator) at £58 to £80 per licence per month, via reseller ServiceKey; Affinity Designer premium AI features require separate Canva subscription; pricing for those plans not disclosed
  • They diverge on capability: Adobe Illustrator covers Shape tools, Affinity Designer covers Gradient tools.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Adobe Illustrator and Affinity Designer actually diverge.

Attributes where Adobe Illustrator and Affinity Designer differ
AttributeAdobe IllustratorAffinity Designer
Starting price$22.99/month$69.99/one-time
Pricing modelsubscriptionone-time
Founded19821994

Identical on both: free tier (No), platforms (Windows, Macos, Ios), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Design).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Adobe Illustrator

  • Shape tools
  • Gradients & effects
  • Symbols & instances
  • 3D capabilities
  • Photoshop
  • InDesign
  • XD
  • Figma

Only in Affinity Designer

  • Gradient tools
  • Pixel-perfect editing
  • Symbols
  • Non-destructive effects
  • Affinity Photo
  • Affinity Publisher
  • Adobe apps
  • OneDrive

Both cover

  • Vector drawing
  • Bezier tools
  • Typography
  • Artboards
  • Dropbox
  • Desktop deployment

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Adobe Illustrator

  • Logo design
  • Vector illustration
  • Icon design
  • Print designnot Affinity Designer

Affinity Designer

  • Logo design
  • Vector illustration
  • Icon design
  • Brandingnot Adobe Illustrator

Both are used for logo design, vector illustration, icon design, on those jobs the choice comes down to price and fit rather than capability.

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Adobe Illustrator

  • Listed on UK G-Cloud as part of Adobe Creative Cloud (which bundles Illustrator) at £58 to £80 per licence per month, via reseller ServiceKey

Affinity Designer

  • Premium AI features require separate Canva subscription; pricing for those plans not disclosed
  • Core Affinity tools are free but Canva premium add-on costs are not detailed

Pricing, plan by plan

Adobe Illustrator

$22.99/month
  • Single App$22.99/month
    • Illustrator desktop app
    • 100GB cloud storage
    • Adobe Fonts
  • All Apps$59.99/month
    • All Creative Cloud apps
    • 100GB cloud storage
    • Adobe Stock trial

Affinity Designer

$69.99/one-time
  • Standard$69.99/one-time
    • Full version
    • All features
    • Lifetime updates

Which should you pick?

Choose Adobe Illustrator if

  • You need shape tools.
  • You work on Windows, Macos, Ios.
  • You also want gradients & effects.
Adobe Illustrator review

Choose Affinity Designer if

  • You need gradient tools.
  • You work on Windows, Macos, Ios.
  • You also want pixel-perfect editing.
Affinity Designer review

Questions people ask

Is Adobe Illustrator or Affinity Designer better?
Neither clearly leads. Adobe Illustrator starts at $22.99/month and Affinity Designer at $69.99/one-time, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Adobe Illustrator or Affinity Designer?
Adobe Illustrator starts at $22.99/month and Affinity Designer at $69.99/one-time.
Does Adobe Illustrator or Affinity Designer run on more platforms?
Both run on Windows, Macos, Ios, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
What is Adobe Illustrator best used for?
Adobe Illustrator is most often used for logo design, vector illustration, icon design, print design. Of those, print design is not what Affinity Designer is typically brought in for.
What can Adobe Illustrator do that Affinity Designer cannot?
Adobe Illustrator covers Shape tools, Gradients & effects, Symbols & instances, 3D capabilities. Affinity Designer covers Gradient tools, Pixel-perfect editing, Symbols, Non-destructive effects. Both handle Vector drawing, Bezier tools, Typography, Artboards.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Affinity Designer: Is Affinity Designer free?

Yes, Affinity Designer is completely free. Every tool in the Pixel, Vector, and Layout studios, plus all customization and export features, are available at no cost with no seat count restrictions or payment requirements.

Source
Affinity Designer: Are there premium features available in Affinity by Canva?

Affinity by Canva includes optional AI features available through separate Canva premium subscriptions (Pro, Business, Enterprise, Education tiers). Core design tools remain free; premium AI functionality requires a Canva subscription.

Source
Affinity Designer: Do I need to pay for Affinity Designer updates?

No. Affinity by Canva receives free updates and new features over time. The core application and all design, editing, and layout tools are updated at no additional cost.

Source
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